


A Stuttering Flame

by thegalrahobbitofplantetgalilfrey



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: All sorts of fun things that I don't want to type up, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt, Jet had a sister, a fire bending sister no less
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-22
Updated: 2017-04-02
Packaged: 2018-10-09 02:39:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10401888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegalrahobbitofplantetgalilfrey/pseuds/thegalrahobbitofplantetgalilfrey
Summary: A sinister plot surrounds Zuko and a mysterious fire bending orphan he took in. What is going on, and can the gaang stop it? Gifted to Rangergirl, because this sprouted in my mind from a conversation we had about Zuko.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rangergirl3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rangergirl3/gifts).



> Yay, Avatar! I've wanted to get around to an Avatar fan fiction, but I was never really motivated until now.

“Hey! Avatar Aang! Wait!” a girl not much older than Katara wearing normal Earth Kingdom garb, just with longer sleeves, plus a pair of gloves, ran towards them, trying to catch up.

“Oh, boy,” groaned Sokka, “Another fan.”

“Avatar Aang! I have a question!”

Aang smiled at her. “Ask away.”

“You traveled the world, right?”

“Yes.”

“I lost my older brother in a Fire Nation attack on our house. And… and I was wondering if maybe you’d seen him.”

Aang softened. Poor girl just wanted her family. He seriously hoped her older brother wasn’t dead. He would hate to have to deliver the bad news. “Sure. What was his name?”

“Jet.”

**____________**

 

“No way, we can’t tell her!” Sokka paced the floor of the house they were in. Aang had quickly said he would have to see if any of his friends remembered that name, and the girl, whose name was Tatami, was waiting in another room. Sokka continued his steady tread. “I mean, for one thing, he’s dead. And another thing, he died _helping us_. What if she blames us? She looks dangerous. I mean, you’d think she’s just another Earth Kingdom girl, but she looks kind of like a fire bender.”

Katara snorted. “Yeah, Jet, the guy who hated the Fire Nation above all else, had a fire bending sister. Very likely.”

“Hey, you can’t pick your relatives. I’ve got _you_ for a sister.” She wrinkled her nose at him.

“Alright, you two, settle down. We need Smellerbee. And Longshot. They could tell her, since they were actually there when he… you know.”

“Croaked. Died. Kaput.”

“Yes, thank you for that, Toph.”

“You’re welcome.”

**_____________**

 

“She looks pretty good, considering.”

“Sokka, she looks _devastated_!”

“Well, yeah, but from what I understood, he was her last family. So considering her whole family is dead, she looks pretty good.”

“You are _hopeless_.”

Aang rushed over to Tatami. “I’m sorry.”

She sniffled. “It wasn’t your fault.” She looked up, her eyes glinting. “But I know, beyond the Di-Lee, whose fault it _was_. And they’re not going to like it when I catch up to them.”

“Whoa. Revenge is never the answer. And besides, what could you do to… to whoever you blame? You’re just a teenager!”

Her right glove slipped off, and a single finger lit on fire. “I think I can handle them.”

**_____________**

“I think she’s Zuko’s problem.”

“What?”

“She’s a fire bender, so I don’t think earth kingdom stuff applies to her. Which means, she’s Zuko’s problem.”

“Toph, she was also the daughter of an Earth kingdom couple! The normal laws still apply!”

“Meh.”

“I think Toph is right, Katara,” put in Aang, “She is a fire bender, which puts her in Zuko’s territory. We should bring her to the fire palace and see if he’ll take care of her.”

**_____________**

 

“No! Don’t land there! Don’t!”

“Tatami, that’s where we’re going. The fire-lord’s palace.”

“No! You can’t take me there!” She sounded truly panicked. “You can’t!”

She made to jump over the side of Appa, but Sokka grabbed her. “Whoa, Tatami, what’s wrong? It’s alright, Zuko’s not so bad when you get to know him. He’s definitely not bad enough that jumping off of a sky bison is a better alternative.”

“No! You can’t take me there! You can’t!”

“Why not?”

“It’s a bad, bad place! Wait, fire-lord Zuko? We’re meeting him?”

“Yeah.”

She settled back with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I can’t wait.”

**_________________**

 

“Fire-lord Zuko. It’s good to see you again.”

“And you, Avatar Aang. What can I do for you?”

“Okay. Drop the formalities now. Both of you are weirding me out.”

“Nice to see you too, Sokka.”

“Zuko, there’s a girl, a fire bender, that we found in the Earth Kingdom. She doesn’t have a family, and we wondered if you knew a place for her to stay.”

“She could stay here. Iroh is coming over for a week, and he could teach her how to properly fire bend. I would be perfectly happy to take her in.”

“Thanks. Hey, “Aang yelled over his shoulder, “Tatami! Fire-lord Zuko is going to let you stay! Come out and say hi!”

A pair of dark eyes glittered at Zuko from Appa’s saddle. She looked very much like someone he had seen before, but he couldn’t remember who. He shivered a little. Very few things had scared him, but her gaze made him fear for his safety.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think that despite her grumpiness, Mai would be a good sister, so here she is, being a good sister

“And, um, you can stay here. Is something wrong, Tatami?

“Why would you think that?”

“You seem a little… hostile.”

“Maybe it’s your guilty conscious.”

“My guilty what? What did I do?”

She gave him a scathing look Mai would have been proud of. “If you don’t know, I’m not going to tell you. Thank you for your offer, and the room. You’ll probably never see me again, and I am perfectly fine with that. Goodbye.” She shut the door in his face, leaving a bewildered Zuko behind.

**_______________**

 

“Hey. My name is Mai. Apparently, I understand girls better than Zuko, so he sent me to talk to you.”

“Go away, then.”

“He’s not that bad.”

“Yes, he is.”

“Why are you mad at him?”

“I have my reasons. None of them having anything to do with you.”

Silence. Then, “You want me to teach you how to throw knives?”

The door opened a crack. “You would do that?”

“Absolutely. Girls have to know how to defend themselves. And if Zuko annoys you…”

“Bam.”

**_______________**

 

“Well, Mai and Tatami seem to be getting along.”

“That’s what worries me, Uncle. She doesn’t have a family, and I’m assuming that that is because they were killed in the war. So it would make sense for her to hate all the Fire Nation. But it’s just me.”

“Maybe you did something personal. Or maybe she just needs to sit down and have a nice cup of tea with you, get to know you.”

“No tea.”

“Sometimes I cannot believe you are my nephew.”

**_____________**

 

“Fire bending 101. What is one thing you know about fire bending, Tatami?”

“That it is both beautiful,” she created a dragon with fire, and it flew around majestically, “And destructive.” The dragon turned into a single bolt of flame, shot at the wall, leaving a scorch mark on the wall.”

Uncle Iroh watched in astonishment. “You seem to know quite a bit. Tea?”

**______________**

 

“Balance. You are the balance.” Tatami shifted uneasily in her sleep, her dream very vivid.

_Two dragons, a tribe of people. She had ascended a staircase holding a small flame, and the dragons swirled around her._

_“You are the balance. Both creation and destruction. You bring life and death, choosing neither one or the other, relying both on emotion and sense. Creation and destruction go hand in hand, and you are the point at which they meet.” The fire swirled around her._

Mai’s door banged open, and Tatami came rushing in, jumping onto her bed.

“Tatami! What are you doing?!”

“There were dragons, and fire, and I don’t like it!”

Mai sighed. Tatami had had a nightmare. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay. Just a dream.”

“It wasn’t! It was a special dream!”

“You said dragons?”

“Yeah, and they kept talking about balance and creation and destruction, and it was awful!!”

“I think we need to talk to Zuko.”

**____________**

Zuko yawned. “Mai, it’s the middle of the night.”

“Tatami had a dream.”

“So? Lots of people have dreams.”

“With dragons.”

“So she had a nightmare. I don’t know why that’s so important. I’m not good at… comfort.”

“It wasn’t a nightmare. She saw the sun tribe. And there were two dragons. And some ritual with fire. I think you know where this is going.”

Zuko was suddenly awake. “Tell me more.”

**___________**

 

“Go away. The reason I went to Mai is because I didn’t want to talk to you.”

“Come on, don’t be like this.”

“I will be like this if I so please. Go away.”

“Mai says you had a dream.”

“And it’s none of your business.”

“Why won’t you talk to me?!”

“Because I don’t like you. Goodbye.” She shut the door.

“Come on,” Zuko yelled at the closed door, “Why do you hate me?! I didn’t _do_ anything!”

“That’s what _you_ think.”

“Why?! I’m not trying to hurt you; would it kill you to tell me why?!”

“Yes.”

“Very funny. You’re being selfish. If I did something, I’m sorry! We do lots of things in war that we hate!”

“But you did something worse.”

“You know what, you have _no_ idea what war is like! You can’t judge me!”

The door swung open. Tatami glared at him in absolute hatred. “I lost my _whole family_ to that war. I only recently found out my brother was killed. My home was destroyed, my friends killed. To get away, _I_ killed someone. I watched as laughing soldiers burned my family and my house to the ground. I watched them exterminate an entire village. I was dragged off as a captive for trying to help a different village. So don’t you ever, _ever_ pretend, say or _think_ that I have no experience with war, because I have had _plenty._ ” She slammed the door, leaving Zuko in shock outside.

**_______________**

 

The next morning Zuko knocked on the door to Tatami’s room, ready to apologize. “Tatami? I know you hate me, and I’m sure you have a good reason, even if you won’t tell me, but I want you to know I didn’t mean any of those things I said last night. I was harsh, and I should’ve acted better.” Silence. “It’s okay if you want to ignore me, I would probably ignore me, but I just want you to know I’m sorry.” He knocked again, unsure if she’d heard him. The door swung open. Tatami’s widow was open, and she was nowhere in sight. A letter was sitting on the dresser.

_Dear Mai and Iroh,_

_I’m sorry to leave like this, but I just don’t think this will work. I think I’ve overstayed my welcome, and I don’t want to cause any trouble. Thank you for all that you did. I’ll miss you, but I think it’s for the best._

_Best of wishes,_

_Tatami_

_P.S. Tell Zuko that it’s not totally his fault. I don’t think I want to stay in the palace. It holds bad memories for me._

Zuko closed the letter and burned it. There were occasional riots breaking out, and Tatami wouldn’t be safe by herself. He had to get her back.


	3. Chapter 3

Tatami sure knew how to run away. Aside from her open window there was absolutely nothing to help Zuko track down where she was. He had taken to asking people in the streets, and a fish seller who apparently knew her told him he’d seen Tatami running towards the forest.

Zuko cautiously proceeded down the forest path. He knew that these woods were infested with platypus bears, and he didn’t want to take any chances.

A voice that he recognized as Tatami’s began to shout. “Let me go!”

A deeper male voice sounded. “Why don’t you fire-bend, then?”

“I don’t want to hurt you. Now let go!”

Laughs. “Oh, _you’ll_ hurt _me_? You’re adorable, kid. And probably worth a lot. A fire-bender. Normally you are so hard to catch.”

“Hey! Let her go!”

The three men who were kidnapping Tatami stared at Zuko, who had dressed in civilian clothes and let down his hair when he had started looking. “Look at that. The ransom payer is already here. Saves us the trouble of finding him.”

“I said, let her go. Or you will regret it. Tatami, are you okay?” She pointedly ignored him. Yeah, she was fine.

“Oh? Are you going to stop us?”

“Yes.” He shot a single flame at the man holding Tatami, who let her go to pat at his cloths. Tatami shoved him away. Out of a cave about ten more kidnappers emerged.

“Fight, Tatami!”

“No. I won’t hurt anyone.”

“Then RUN!” Zuko shoved her towards the woods, and set a fallen log on fire, blocking the kidnappers’ passage, following Tatami’s flight. They crashed through bushes, shoving branches out of the way. Tatami stopped when they hit a river.

“Come on! It’s just a little water!”

“No! You don’t understand! They’re-” a huge wave swelled up, knocking Zuko backwards. “-water-benders.” The water swirled around him, dampening his fire, getting in his mouth and nose. He could see, through a curtain of water, Tatami fire-bending, keeping them from touching her. But strangely only using her right hand. He kicked his way to the surface in time to see an ice dagger slice into her hand. She screamed.

“Tatami!”

“Nowhere to run, rat.”

“There’s always somewhere to run.” She turned and, with a graceful dive, jumped into the river, dragging Zuko into the natural current. They were halfway down the river before the water-benders even realized what she had done.

**______________**

 

Zuko dragged himself out of the water, Tatami right behind him.

“I think, I think we’re safe now.”

“We should keep moving.”

“Tatami, we were carried a long way from them.”

“We’re not safe until we get to the palace with the doors shut and locked.”

“When did you become a warfare specialist?” She started ignoring him again. “Fine, don’t tell me.” She began to move again. Zuko followed, not entirely sure where she was going. Then she stopped, a great chasm in front of them.

“Just a little bit longer.”

“Well, you two certainly are slippery. But you can’t run across that.” Zuko whirled around, the water-benders right behind them.

 “JUMP!!” Tatami shoved Zuko over the cliff. A fountain of fire shooting out of the ground shoved a rock into the air, Zuko landing on it as it shot across the canyon.

“TATAMI!” Tatami raised her still-bleeding right hand into the air, wreathed in fire. She slammed it into the ground, exploding the earth, the force of it throwing her attackers backwards, and herself across the gap. She slammed into the cliff side, barely managing to grab onto a ledge. The water-benders left.

Zuko ran to the cliff. “Tatami! Grab my hand!” He reached a hand towards her. She looked at his hand distrustfully. She was exhausted, he could tell, and wouldn’t last much longer. “Come on! I know you don’t trust me, but you need to, just this once! After this you can go back to hating me, but I need you to trust me, just this once!”

Tatami’s eyes widened as she was immersed in memory.

_“Are we sure we can climb this tree?”_

_“Of course, Jet. The branches look fine”_

_“But mom said…”_

_“It’s fine!”_

_“Fine, but you’re always getting us into trouble. I have to make sure.”_

_They climbed the tree, Jet going higher that her._

_“Hey! Wait up!” She put her foot on a rotten branch, and it collapsed under her weight, leaving her hanging from another branch._

_“Tatami!”_

_“Jet, help!”_

_“Take my hand!”_

_“You’ll drop me!” the branch she was holding onto cracked a little. She whimpered. “Jet, I’m scared!”_

_“Trust me to be strong, Just this once. Please, just trust me.”_

“Jet?” Tatami’s eyes were clouded. Zuko suddenly had a _very_ bad feeling he knew who her brother was.

 _“Come_ on _Tatami! Just take my hand!”_

“Come _on_ Tatami! Just take my hand!”

_“Okay.”_

“Okay.”

_Snap! The branch broke just as she reached for his hand._

Her hand slipped as she reached for Zuko’s hand.

_He grabbed her wrist, pulling her up on the branch next to him._

Zuko caught her hand and yanked her up onto the cliff. “Tatami!” She curled up, sobbing.

**____________**

 

“So, Jet was your brother, huh?” Zuko finished bandaging Tatami’s hand.

She sniffed. “Yeah. He… he died when he went against the Di-Lee leader.”

“And you were mad at me for that?”

“You… He fought you. That’s why he was taken away. Do you remember?”

“Yes. But he attacked me.”

“If you hadn’t come to Ba-Sing-Sae, he wouldn’t’ve died. He would still be here.”

Zuko lowered his head. “I see. I know you won’t accept it as enough, but I’m sorry. Really.”

“I know.”

“Will you come back to the fire palace?”

“I… yes. It’s the only place I can begin to call home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Character development for Tatami! But it's okay, we will still have her hating Zuko for a very different reason, she'll just stop ignoring him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter just sets the stage for the next couple of chapters, so a little boring.

“Tatami! Use your left hand! Your right hand may be stronger, but if you are unable to use it, you will be defenseless!”

“No. My right hand is weaker. That is why I use it. To make it stronger.”

“Very admirable, but you need to use both hands.”

“I can’t.”

“Can’t, or won’t?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, I see what you did. You have done well for today. Dismissed. Come later for tea?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

**________________**

“Nephew, I’m worried about Tatami. She refuses to use her left hand to fire bend. She keeps her sleeve rolled down on that side, and always wears the glove. Do you think something could be wrong with that hand?”

“I wouldn’t know. She still doesn’t trust me entirely.”

“What do you mean? I thought she had forgiven you.”

“For the death of her brother, yes. But I just have this feeling… It’s like she has so many reasons that I can’t even begin to understand.”

“Perhaps she does.”

**______________**

 

Zuko woke with a start. Someone was sneaking around the palace. He slipped out of bed and watched through a crack in his door as Tatami snuck past his room. He quietly opened his door and followed her. She reached a statue of Avatar Roku and glanced around furtively before yanking on the statue’s nose. There was a creak, and a secret passageway opened up. She walked inside, and Zuko slid after her, silent as a shadow.

Inside was an assortment of what looked like torture equipment. Zuko had never seen this place, and was both captivated and appalled by what lay inside.

Tatami snuck furtively into another room. As it had for the last few weeks she’d come, a wave of unpleasant memories swept over her. She destroyed a torture device as well as a whip, before destroying various maps with red pins in them.

“This is an odd way to spend the night.”

 Tatami jumped as Zuko peeled out of the shadows.  “Don’t do that! I nearly had a heart attack!”

“What is this place, anyway?”

“It’s the training area for the Branded.”

“The Branded? I thought they were a myth!”

“No. They exist. Or did exist. A group of fire bending orphans, branded with the sign of the fire nation, trained as killers since childhood. For every person they killed, they got a tattoo. I’m destroying this place so that no person can ever use it to manipulate innocents again.” She said it so bitterly, Zuko wondered if she had personal experience.

“Did they…”

“They burned down my house and killed my parents. Jet and I were lucky to escape with our lives.”

Zuko could tell that there was something she was excluding, but seeing as how he’d managed to have an entire conversation with her in which she had not been angry at him, he decided not to push it.

“You’re right.” He set a map on fire. “No one should be able to use this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SECRET TUNNEL, SECRET TUNNEL, THROUGH THE PALACE! SECRET TUNNEL, SECRET TUNNEL!!!!!


	5. Chapter 5

Tatami yawned and got out of bed. It was late, probably close to midnight, but she wasn’t able to get to sleep. Something seemed off. She padded down to the kitchen, thinking maybe she just needed to get a drink. Maybe some tea.

Then she heard the voices. “Are you sure we should be doing this?”

“Of course I am! He’s a tyrant who deserves to die! He stole the throne from his own sister!” Tatami peeked in the door and saw a group of men, armed with knives and dressed in black. One of them pulled off his mask, and Tatami gasped. It was her friend who worked in the fish market! They were going to kill Zuko!

She backed away, knocking over a vase. It broke with a smash, and the voices became panicked. “Someone’s there! You took off your mask, they know who you are, that can’t happen!” Tatami turned and fled.

 

“Mai! Mai!”

Mai yawned and sat up as Tatami barreled in, burrowing under her covers. “Another nightmare?”

“No! There are men in the kitchen, and they want to kill me! And Zuko!”

Suddenly Mai was wide awake. “To kill Zuko?!” They ran to his room, but he wasn’t there. “Split up! We have to get to him before they do!” Mai ran down one hallway. Tatami stood absolutely still, breathing in and out, looking, stretching out her senses. She could feel the extra heat from fire benders, but the only one with enough heat to be awake… She ran towards the armory.

 

“Zuko! Zuko, someone wants to kill you!”

“What?”

“There are people in the palace who want to kill you, one of them is-” A hand suddenly clapped over her mouth, and she was dragged backwards.

“Well, well, well. We caught our little nighttime wanderer, trying to spoil everything.” About twenty men slunk out of the shadows, one of them holding Tatami.

“Let her go, and I’ll try to be lenient.”

“You’re in no position to make threats, _fire-lord_.” He spat it like an insult. “If you roll over and let us take you, we’ll let her go. If not, she’ll die with you.”

Tatami lit the man holding her on fire. He yelped and let go. She kicked him in the stomach and ran over to Zuko. “Oh, no. The bargaining tool escaped. Here’s my proposal. You get out of here now, return to your normal lives, and nobody gets hurt. Otherwise, you’re going to be in a world of trouble.”

“Attack!”

She shrugged. “Or you could do that.” She and Zuko stood back to back, blasting fire at them, protecting each other. Eventually they were all on the run. And then the unexpected happened. A defeated man with a terrible burn jumped up and threw his knife at Tatami. It hurtled straight for her heart.

“Tatami!” She was shoved roughly to the ground. It had hit Zuko directly in his shoulder. He sat on the ground with a thump. “Ouch.” He pulled out the knife, grimacing, and the blood started to flow from his arm. The knife thrower slowly unsheathed another knife and advanced on him.

“NO!” Zuko watched, through a haze of pain, as a wall of fire erupted from her left hand and burnt the guy to a crisp. As the smoking remains of her glove and her sleeve fell off of her arm, tattoos decorating her arm and hand were revealed.

He took in a hissing breath. “Tatami… you’re… you’re one of the Branded!”

**__________________**

 

“Okay, I don’t get it. What are the Branded?”

Zuko nodded to Aang. “The branded were an elite squad who were brought in as children-”

“Kidnapped,” interjected Tatami, “There was no ‘brought’.”

“Right. Kidnapped. They were branded with the symbol of the fire nation and trained to be killers. When they were properly trained, they were turned out, kind of as freelancing assassins. They could kill anyone they wanted if they were a threat to the fire nation. Or the fire-lord. For each kill they made, they were given a tattoo, a tattoo that somehow increased their fire-power on the hand or foot they received it.”

Aang tried not to stare at the hundreds of tattoos on Tatami’s arm. “Right. And those big ones…” He gestured towards a beautiful spotted butterfly that took up the back of her hand.

She met his gaze with hard eyes. “Those are for a village or town. Each spot represents a person killed.”

Aang gulped. Suddenly the butterfly didn’t seem so beautiful. “So… you killed people?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Near the end of the war, it occurred to me that the Fire Nation couldn’t track me down if I disappeared. They had turned me loose into the world to be a monster, but I didn’t have to be one if I didn’t want to. So I stopped. I started to look for my family. And then the war was over. And I met you.”

“And we brought you to a place that held only nightmares for you,” Aang finished. “I’m so, so, sorry.”

Zuko winced as he shifted his arm.

Tatami’s sharp eyes didn’t miss it. “Zuko! Did you never get your arm checked out?!”

“Maybe…”

“You are an idiot. You are such a big idiot it isn’t even funny.”

“You’re welcome…”

Katara rolled her eyes, ready to heal Zuko. Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand she's one of the Branded. Who saw that coming since I mentioned them?


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter, Voltron references.

“They went this way.” Zuko got up from examining the tracks. Their fish-market friend had flown the coop, but he was their only lead, so Tatami and Zuko had tracked down his steps from the market.

Tatami headed in the opposite direction.

“Hey! Weren’t you listening? _That_ way!” Tatami steadily ignored him. “Tatami! What are you doing?!”

“They didn’t go that way.”

“What are you talking about?!’ He gestured to footprints in the mud. “They _very_ clearly went this way!”

“A false trail. And very obviously so. If the bait is obvious, don’t fall for it.”

“Well, how do you know he went _that_ way, instead of the numerous _other_ paths?!”

“Just trust me on this one.”

“But _how_? There is nothing that way to suggest their going that way!”

She shot him an annoyed look. “Can’t you just accept my word, for once? Why do you always question me?”

“Maybe because _you never tell me anything_?!”

“If _I_ trusted _you_ , maybe I _would_ tell you these things!”

“Why don’t you _trust me_?!”

“Because you lean to much towards what those you admire, or fear, want!”

“What are you _talking_ about?!”

“If you honestly can’t remember, there’s no point in telling you! You’ll just forget again!”

“Again?”

“Just shut up and follow my lead.” She stormed off down the path she’d taken. About halfway down, she closed her eyes, and walked on, seeming to sense something. They came to a river, and she splashed a few feet in.

“Tatami! What are you _doing_?!”

“Trust me,” she shouted. He followed her, grumbling, into the water. She walked down the river, only a few feet in the shallows. About half a mile down she waded back onto shore, and stood, stock-still.

“Tatami?”

She breathed in and out slowly. “Patience. Patience yields focus.”

“What?”

Tatami smiled a little, clearly a happy memory. “A friend gave me that bit of advice. An earth-bender named Shiro was caught and sent to train us. He was kind, despite his predicament. He would never hit an opponent while he was down. His arm was unfortunately lost in a training exercise, but he created one out of stone and used his earth-bending to make it act as a real hand. Very ingenious. One night he escaped, taking a small fire-bending toddler named Keith with him. I always wondered what happened to them.” She closed her eyes again, breathing in and out slowly, focusing. She opened he eyes. “The trail stops here.”

“Well, good try, but-”

“No. The trail stops, but… Get down!” She yanked Zuko to the ground, arrows shooting over their heads. “But why, why here, why the river? Mud makes it harder to fight, we could escape into the river, why would they… Oh, no. Get away. Get away from the water!” A huge wave swept out of the river and bore down on them, knocking them off their feet. The same water-benders were there, keeping them in one place. The archers fired again, this time the arrows would hit them.

Tatami’s moves were amazing. Her arms were in constant movement, sending bolts of flame so hot they instantly incinerated the arrows. None of them ever hit their targets. But they had more pressing matters. The water was forming a ring, tightening and cutting off their escape. Tatami took a deep breath, clapped her hands together and slowly pulled them apart, a blazing sword of fire forming in-between her hands. She sliced at the water-wall, the sword so hot that the water evaporated. She grabbed Zuko’s hand and pulled him through the gap, slicing arrows with her sword.

“Going somewhere?” A big scarred man blocked their path. Tatami froze with a small yelp, slamming her eyes shut. He laughed. “I don’t know why we ever released you. You’re clearly still a coward. Greetings, Prince, or should I say Fire-lord, Zuko. May I introduce myself? My name is Raghu. I’m a trainer of the Branded. It’s nice to meet you. Or, really, it’s a pleasure to kidnap you.” Before Zuko knew what was happening, a club smashed over his head, and he remembered no more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand now I'l probably end up writing a Voltron/Avatar AU because of that story, but I couldn't resist adding that.


	7. Chapter 7

“Fire-lord. Wake up.” Zuko gasped and started awake as a bucket of ice-water was thrown in his face. Raghu was standing there with a smug smile on his face. Zuko lunged for him, but didn’t get far, as his hands were chained to the ceiling.

“Let. Me. Go.”

“Oh, no. you see, my colleagues and I,” he gestured to the water-bender kidnappers and the assassins, “all want something from you. I want the reinstitution of the Branded. Your would-be assassins want you to abdicate in favor of Azula. As for the kidnappers, they want money and revenge. Very dull motives, but to each his own, I suppose.”

“I’ll _never_ reinstitute the Branded. I saw what you did to Tatami. The day I abdicate the throne to _Azula_ will be the day the Fire nation freezes over.”

Raghu sighed. “Ah, well, I expected nothing less. And I suppose nothing we can do to you will make you change your mind? No? What about to Tatami?”

“If you touch a hair on her head…”

“Ah, yes, the fire-lord’s young ward. Hmm, that rhymed. Once the fire-lord had a young ward. But, alas the fire-lord had not a sword. And when he denied the requests, the dumb fire-lord, Alas, caused the death of his poor little ward.”

“You are sick!”

“Hmm, needs work, I’ll admit. But true, all the same. Bring me my pupil, please.” The assassin looked at him, slightly annoyed, but left all the same.

“Why do you even want the Braded to be reinstated?! It was terrible!”

“And you are basing this off of what? The words of one teenaged orphan? Things are always exaggerated when they are involved.”

“She wouldn’t lie to me!”

“Wouldn’t she, though? Did you know she was a Branded before she was forced to reveal her tattoos?”

“She saved my life!”

“It is the job of the Branded to save the Fire-lord. Without your knowledge, I have saved you several times when you were a child.”

“You’re lying!”

“But I’m not. And how do you know that I am lying and she is telling the truth?”

The assassin struggled back down the hallway, dragging an unwilling Tatami behind him. She was chewing him out, and Zuko almost felt sorry for him. “-And when I get out of here, you’re gonna be the first to die, no lenience, no mercy, even if you beg for it.”

“Having fun, Tatami?”

Tatami froze when Raghu used her name. “You. What are _you_ doing here?

“Having a friendly chat with the fire-lord. It appears you have made quite a few enemies.”

“Happens when you travel with him.” She nodded to Zuko. “Anyway, I think that letting us go before we kill you and your buddies is a good idea.”

“Still laughing to spite fear, I see. We crushed that out of you once, we can do it again.”  He nodded to the assassin, who locked Tatami’s wrists and ankles to the floor.

“Hey! Let me out of this!”

Raghu turned to Zuko. “Will you reinstate the Branded?”

“No.” Tatami’s fingers were stretched out and cuffed to the floor separately.

“Are you sure about that?”

“I’ll never do that. _Never_.”

“If you’re sure…” He raised a booted foot over her thumb. “This little cow-pig went to the market…” He stomped down, hard. Zuko could hear the bones crunch. Tatami winced, but kept silence. “This little cow-pig stayed home.” His merciless boot smashed onto her index finger. “This little cow-pig had roast seal…” her middle finger. She screamed. “This little cow-pig had none.” The scream rose in pitch, and Zuko turned his face away. He couldn’t watch this.

“Had enough, fire-lord?”

“Zuko.” Tatami was shaking, but she gritted her teeth and kept talking. “Zuko, if you do what he says, I will _personally_ give you a matching scar on your other eye.”

“But Tatami…”

“You _idiot_! What do you think I’ve been destroying everything for?! Are you going to undo all that hard work?! I don’t think I appreciate that!”

“Ah, well, at least I get to finish the rhyme. And this little cow-pig went wee, wee, wee, all” he stomped, “the way” He ground his heel in “home.” He gave one last stomp on the rest of her hand and swept out of the room, his henchmen following.

**______________**

 

“Tatami?” a low moan. “Tatami! Answer me, Tatami!” Nothing. This was bad, this was bad. Zuko carefully maneuvered his hands so that his fingers were pointing at the chain that was attached to the ceiling and shot his fire. He winced as a drop of molten metal dripped onto his shoulder, but gritted his teeth and kept going. The chains heated, slowly but surely, ready to break.

**____________**

 

“Well, fire-lord?” Raghu’s eyes glinted with dark amusement. “Have you considered my offer further?”

“Drop dead,” Zuko spat.

The smile slid off of Raghu’s face. “I see. Tatami, dear, how do you feel?” No answer. “Not good, huh? Not surprising. I broke all of your fingers, and possibly a good bit of your hand. Takes me back to the good old days when I had all those students to punish.” His eyes glinted darkly. “I always did hate you. Miss self-righteous Earth Kingdom brat. Hand me a whip.” Tatami’s pain-filled eyes widened in terror.

“There are none, sir.”

Raghu growled. “What did you do to my beautiful supply of whips? Never mind. I’ll find one, don’t you worry. And when I do…” he sliced his hand through the air. Tatami flinched and he laughed, cackling madly as he left the room again.

**_____________**

 

“Tatami?”

“Zuko. We’re under the palace. They’ll have the way through Roku’s statue covered, but there’s another way out, through a river. When you get out, go that way.”

“You’re coming.”

She smiled sadly. “I can’t. I’m stuck here.”

“No. We’re both getting out of here, or not at all.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I’m not. Aang trusted me to take care of you, and that’s what I’m going to do. My family is nuts, your family is dead, we have to look out for each other.”

She laughed, before wincing. “Wow. You really have changed since being that eight-year-old playing in the garden, too afraid to speak out against the wrongs you saw.”

“I’ve seen you, before Aang brought you to the palace, haven’t I?”

“You were eight. I was six. I was being dragged to the Branded training.

_“No! Hey! Let me go! Help!”_

_“Azula, what’s that? Where are they taking that girl?”_

_Azula barely looked up. “Oh, her?” she asked in a bored voice, “She’s going to become one of the Branded.”_

_“But I don’t think she wants to go!”_

_“She’s going to serve her nation. It’s her duty. You could stop them, I’m sure, being the crown prince and all. Father might not be happy, but you’d save her.” The girl looked pleadingly at Zuko, but he turned his face away. He shouldn’t anger Ozai. The fact that Azula approved of his choice did not comfort him._

“I remember.” A single tear trickled down Zuko’s cheek. “I remember how I turned away. Tatami, I’ve been awful to you, I deserved every shred of hatred you directed at me. I understand now. And everything you said, everything you did was justified.”

“No.” Zuko looked at her, Tatami, wincing with pain on the floor, but still trying to talk. “No. I have been unfair to you, Zuko. You changed, but I was too prejudiced against you to see that. I wanted to hate you so much, because everybody was telling me you were good, but I thought I knew more than them. But I didn’t. You aren’t a child who bends to the will of society anymore. You are a strong fire-lord and… and a good friend!”

A slow clap sounded. “Oh, bravo, very nice. I do love a little drama. So beautiful.” Raghu. Back with a whip. “Do go on. This is all very touching.” Both of them remained silent. “No? Well, I might as well skip it, but blah, blah, blah, Fire-lord do you accept my proposal, no you don’t, I know, you don’t even need to say it, let the fun begin!” he raised the whip. Zuko strained against his restraints, trying to break the weak link, he could break it, he had to break it. The manacles dug into his skin, cutting his wrist, but that was nothing to Tatami’s scream when the whip cracked on her. He struggled, struggled and then, with a snap, the chain broke, and he was punching Raghu, punching him hard, making him bleed, making him hurt.

“Zuko. Zuko, stop!” Tatami was staring at him, terrified. He dropped Raghu.

Raghu leered up at him. “I guess we all have our snapping point, don’t we?” Zuko punched him one more time, this time to knock him out, and pulled the key off of him. He unlocked Tatami and picked her up, holding her close to him.

“Don’t worry,” he whispered, “I won’t sentence you to this again.”

**______________**

Zuko opened the first hatch that led to the river. “Should I close it before I open the second one?”

Tatami’s eyes glittered darkly, the specks of yellow in her green eyes twinkling like a fire in a forest. “Let’s flood this hellhole.”

Zuko opened the second hatch, and the water cascaded in, the currents first sucking him and Tatami out, before filling up the hellhole, as Tatami called it.

Water. Water swirling around her, pushing her along, spinning her around, she had no control, absolutely none, and as the need for air screamed at her, she slowly faded into blackness.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter!

White blankness. Where was she? Tatami’s surroundings swirled and took the form of a forest.

“Hey! Tat-a-tat!” And there was her brother, waiting for her.

She ran into his arms. “Jet! Jet, I missed you so much, and I tried to find you, but I couldn’t, and I’m sorry, I could’ve, I could’ve kept you from dying!”

“Hey, now. Nothing you could’ve done would’ve stopped my bone-headed decisions.”

Their parents appeared behind Jet. “Mom! Dad!” She ran right into their arms… and walked right through them.

“Sorry, Tat. You’re not dead enough to talk to or touch them.”

“What?”

“Well, to put this straight, you’re dying in the physical world. I didn’t die that long ago, not even a year, so I can talk to you and hug you and whatnot. But they died so long ago that you have to be a little closer to death than that to see them. Or be, you know, dead.”

“What?”

He sighed. “It’s like… we’re in a large expanse of space. The more people who die, the further the people already here get shoved back. I just died, and therefore am on the surface. They died ten years ago, and were shoved farther back. Understand?”

“I think so. I missed you.”

“I missed you too, Tat-a-tat.”

“Hey! How many times have I told you not to call me that!”

He ruffled her hair. “Many, many times. But never in this realm.”

“Then let this be the first time.”

“Tatami. There are a ton of things you should know. First of all, do you know who our great-grandfather was?”

“Which one?”

“On mom’s side. Grandma Ji-Ji’s dad.”

“No.”

“He was Avatar Roku.”

“Wait, so Zuko’s my… ugh.”

“Makes me feel kind of bad for attacking him.”

“No it doesn’t.”

He laughed, a sound she had missed. “You’re right. I don’t regret it at all. You remember your odd dream? With the dragons?”

“Of course I do!”

“One day when you were four, Grandma Ji-Ji brought you to a faraway place. When you came back, your fire-bending was stronger than ever. She was shaken. Kept muttering about balance and dragons. When I died, I talked to her. She explained that you are a very rare kind of fire-bender. You draw both upon anger and the power that the dragons teach. You walk on a very precarious line, between the two types. Between life and death. That’s why you can see heat trails where people were. That’s why you can make your sword. Do you understand? This is not to be taken lightly.”

Tatami nodded gravely. “I understand.”

“Good.”

Tatami’s parents appeared again. “Tatami! We love you!” A single hand touched her hair before they faded away again.

“What the… they shouldn’t be able to… Tatami, you’re dying! We _have_ to get you back to your body!”

“Why? Can’t I stay here? Don’t… don’t you want me?”

Jet’s eyes softened and he planted a kiss on her forehead. “Of course I do. But you can’t stay right now. You have to live. You’re still needed.” He shoved her backwards and the forest faded away, replaced by the blankness, Jet waving in the distance. “Tatami! I love you!”

**____________**

 

“Shh. She’s waking up.”

Tatami blinked awake. Katara was bending over her, glowing water covering her hands. “Hey! How do you feel?”

“Like I broke my fingers and then almost drowned.” Tatami felt around her neck, panicking. “Katara! Where’s my pendant?”

She blinked. “The necklace? I took it off when I put you in the healing pool. Here.” She pulled out a chain with an oval piece of clay hanging off of it. On one side was painted a flame, on the other the symbol of the earth kingdom, the brown circle surrounded by green “It’s beautiful. Where’d you get it?”

“My brother made it. To remind me that being a fire bender doesn’t necessarily mean being Fire Nation. That I could still be a part of the Earth Kingdom, that I wasn’t a traitor. I know that now, but I was confused then. I grew up.”

**_____________**

“Hey, big brother. I miss you, you know that?” Zuko watched from the shadows as Tatami put a single lily on the otherwise barren grave, along with a sketch of her and Jet as children, laughing and playing. “But, hey, you picked your battles, I picked mine. Battling your own cousin… that was a stupid move. But you helped, in your own way. And I’ll see you again, right? We’re not separated forever, you, me, our parents. I’ll be with you someday.” A solitary tear trickled down her cheek and splattered onto the stone.

“He’d be proud of you; you know that?” Zuko slid away from the shadows and put an arm around Tatami. This time she didn’t even flinch. 

“I know.”

“I’m proud of you.”

“I know. I’m proud of you too. Family?”

“Family,” he agreed, “Forever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy ending, as we pan away from Tatami and Zuko hugging, the dramatic music begins to play, the screen goes blank and we watch the credits roll. Ta-daaaaa! All done! Now for the Voltron/Avatar fan fiction I never meant to write but now consumes my thoughts.


	9. Bonus Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just couldn't resist Tatami teasing Jet about Katara

“Hey, Big Brother!”

“Tatami! Again?”

Tatami bounced up to Jet. “Yup.”

“You can’t keep doing this.”

“Why not?”

“Because one day, instead of putting yourself in a _near_ death situation, you’re going to put yourself in a _death_ situation. It’s not supposed to work like this. You almost dying and me appearing to you was supposed to be a one-time thing. Near-death experience, okay, we talked, you’ll see me when you actually die. You can’t just almost die whenever you want to see me!”

“I think I can if I want to.”

“One day, you are going to get stabbed when Katara isn’t around, and then you’ll die.”

“Oh, no. I _always_ make sure she’s around.”

“What, you _plan_ this?”

“Of course.”

“What if no one finds you?!”

“Zuko _thinks_ I don’t know about the stealth bodyguard team he put on me, but honestly, what kind of ultimate legendary weapon would I be if I couldn’t tell when a few idiots were following me?”

“Why can’t you be content with Zuko, just for a little while? I love you, but I don’t want you to prematurely die. And talking and touching you is getting harder with more people dying. What if one day you nearly die, and you don’t find me here?”

Tatami flopped to the floor with a sigh. “I just… Zuko’s so busy with Fire-Lord duties, and doesn’t always have time. Mai moved after an argument she and Zuko had, and while Sokka is pretty great, he and Suki are inseparable, and I feel like a third ostrich-horse leg. Katara started a healing house, and Toph is teaching metal-bending. Iroh-”

Jet held up a hand. “I get it. There’s nobody to talk to, not really. You don’t have to go on. I only want to keep you safe.”

“I know. But… while I’m here, can you tell me a story? Maybe about when you were a freedom fighter? When you met Zuko?”

“Definitely not that last one. And… I don’t really want to talk about the freedom fighters. There are a _lot_ of things I’m not proud of.”

“Like what?”

“They didn’t tell you?”

“Nobody told me anything except that you were a hero, and died bravely, fighting Long-Feng.”

He shook his head, smiling slightly. “Thought they could keep it from you,” he said, mostly to himself, “they didn’t want you to know. Guess I should thank them for that.”

“Why? What happened?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Tatami reached for his hand. When she made contact, she was thrown into his memories.

_“Hold on, Katara.” Katara blushed, and Jet smiled, as they rode up to the top of a tree._

“Ah! You think I want to see that, Jet?”

He bowed his head. “I’m sorry. I’m sure you hate me now-”

“You still like her, don’t you? That is _disgusting_!”

He blinked. “What?”

“ _You_ and _Katara_ had a _thing_!”

“ _That’s_ what you pulled away from that?”

“I stopped watching after that! If you want to scare me away from your thoughts by thinking about your love life, consider me scared!” she gagged. “I _never_ want to see that, _ever_ again!”

“I can’t believe that is the only thing you saw.”

“Tips on: How _not_ to flirt.”

“Hey, wait a minute, what makes you think I was unsuccessful?”

“Uh, she’s dating Aang? _Minor_ giveaway.”

“Hey! I died! Of course she isn’t dating me!”

“Exactly! You _don’t_ flirt with a girl by _dying_.”

Jet put a hand to his head. “I can’t believe that I am actually having this conversation. If someone had told me I would be having a conversation about my flirting skills with my sister in the spirit world as a spirit a couple of years ago, I’d have backed away slowly while pointing my sword at them. Just be quiet and watch the rest of that memory; I don’t want to keep thinking about it.” He took her hand, and the images began to flash again.

_Terror when he couldn’t find her_

_Fire, fire everywhere, the rhino-riders and the Branded destroying their house_

_She was in the fire. He was too cowardly to save her_

_Crying in the street, the rhino-rider staring at him_

_Katara._

_The reservoir_

_Tricking Katara and Aang_

_Trying to have Sokka killed_

_Flooding the village._

The flood of memories slowed down to one particular time. _Guilt. Why had he done this? It hadn’t been worth it. He’d displaced a_ whole village _because he was trying to play at war. The valley had a monster problem alright, but it wasn’t the Fire-Nation. He was the true monster. He tried to help rebuild the village, but the villagers wouldn’t let them. They didn’t trust him, and he deserved it. He deserved every curse, every rock thrown at him, he deserved the fear that the village children had towards him. He deserved it all. He sank into despair, missing her, missing their parents, missing the drive that had spurred him on. And then he had remembered; his sister may have survived. And if she was anywhere, Ba-Sing-Sae would be a likely place. He could take Longshot and Smellerbee, find his sister and start over. Live a new life, as a new person. So he did._

The memory flow sped up again, as if Jet wanted to get the memories of his time in Ba-Sing-Sae over with as soon as possible.

_The boat._

_Zuko_

_Fighting in the street_

_A room with a spinning light, then nothing. Then Katara and everybody staring at him._

_He still liked her._

_In the Di-Lee headquarters_

_Long-Feng_

_Fighting Aang_

_A rock spur coming out at him, Katara bending over him, (She was beautiful) Smellerbee crying and stroking his hair, Longshot ready to shoot anyone who got near them… then nothing._

Tatami opened her eyes, which were wet with tears.

Jet released her and stepped back, staring at the ground. “I…I guess you won’t want to see me again after that. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t’ve-”

He was interrupted by Tatami leaping onto him in a hug. “Don’t _ever_ think yourself as only your worst parts.” Her whisper was muffled, but fierce. “ _Ever_.” All of her memories with him, happy memories, their childhood together flooded through him, crashing over him like a wave of good times.

Tatami could feel Jet fading away, even as she squeezed him. “No…”

“I’m sorry, Tatami. I can’t stay. I’m being pulled back…”

Tears flowed freely from her eyes. “When will I see you again?”

“Hopefully a long time from now. Live a good life, Tatami. Get a family, be happy. I’ll see you again. Someday. Tatami, I love…” his voice faded away with his image, leaving Tatami behind, crying, crying until she was pulled back, Zuko anxiously sitting next to her. Jet was right, though. She needed to live her life. So she did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then the teasing evolved into that mess. whoops.


End file.
